1. Field of the Invention.
The present invention relates to surgical retractor apparatus, and in particular, it relates to a retractor used to retract organs.
2. Description of the Prior Art.
Surgical retractors are customarily used during major surgery to hold back the incision area to expose the area in which the surgeon operates. Abdominal surgery presents particular problems because of the presence of large soft organs, especially long lengths of intestines. The positioning during surgery of these lengths of intestines is vitally important to the success of the surgery. The intestines can obscure the surgeon's vision if the intestines are not held back by retractors. On the other hand, the intestines themselves are fragile and puncture results in contamination of the field of surgery greatly increasing the risk of post-operative infection.
In the prior art, surgical absorbent clothes or sponges, sometimes with the addition of hard metal retractors, have been used to hold and separate the intestines from the point of surgery.
The Rudie U.S. Pat. No. 3,372,696 describes the use of an abdominal pad having a flexible body member having a slight degree of rigidity with a weighted pocket formed at one end for holding back the intestines.
The Kohlmann U.S. Pat. No. 3,749,088 describes a retractor having a blade with a lower flexible end portion.
The Hurson U.S. Pat. No. 4,048,987 describes a hand-shaped retractor with a wire core having a multi-member body portion and a handle portion. The members of the body portion are individually adjustable.
The James U.S. Pat. No. 3,467,079 describes a retractor having a shaft that ends in a hook and a winged blade.
The Kadavy U.S. Pat. No. 1,947,649 describes a surgical instrument having a pair of pivotally connected members having a pair of outwardly extending arms that are inserted into a rubber covering. The arms are extended outwardly so that the covering is held taut between the two arms.
The Sinnreich U.S. Pat. No. 4,190,042 describes a flexible retractor having a bifurcated member with a flexible membrane tensed between segments of the bifurcated member.
The LeVahn U.S. Pat. No. 4,355,631 illustrates conventional retractors.